Developmental and Regenerative Dermatology

About us

The Developmental and Regenerative Dermatology Unit

The developmental and regenerative dermatology unit studies the genetic processes that govern development, homeostasis and regeneration of the skin in the mouse. Our research aims at understanding the genetic and molecular basis of developmental and human regenerative skin diseases such as skin cancer, which affects 2 out of 3 Australians in their life time.

The lab recently made the pivotal discovery that Yes-associated protein (YAP) functions as a key molecular switch in epidermal stem/progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation (Beverdam et al., JID 2013). We currently investigate the developmental genetic context in which YAP functions to control skin stem/progenitor cells in normal and in disrupted skin biology. We employ genetically manipulated mouse models, human skin samples, advanced imaging technology such as confocal microscopy and whole mouse in vivo imaging, gene and protein expression analyses and whole genome approaches to address her research questions. Our research will open up exciting new avenues for translational research and the development of treatments for human regenerative skin disease.

Dr Annemiek Beverdam

Dr. Annemiek Beverdam is a developmental geneticist with special interest in epidermal development and regeneration in the mouse, and in the genetic basis of human regenerative skin disease. She obtained her PhD in the lab of Dr Frits Meijlink at the Hubrecht Institute in The Netherlands. Subsequently, she performed her postdoctoral research in the labs of Dr Giovanni Levi in Italy, Professor Peter Koopman at the IMB in Brisbane, and Professor Brian Key at UQ. Currently, she is a Lecturer in Anatomy, with a focus on Developmental Biology, and she is the head of the Developmental and Regenerative Dermatology Unit at the CGMU at the School of Medical Sciences at the University of New South Wales. The primary research focus of her lab is the genetic and molecular context in which Yes-associated protein (YAP) functions to control normal epidermal homeostasis, how these processes go awry in regenerative skin diseases such as skin cancer, and to identify avenues to cure these disorders. Her research is part of a larger, long-term and ambitious goal to identify key genes linking stem cell biology to organ size and growth.

Opportunities

Enthusiastic, bright and hard-working undergraduate and postgraduate students and postdocs who are interested in research projects that concern the developmental and regenerative biology of the skin, should contact Dr. Annemiek Beverdam for further information. (A.Beverdam@unsw.edu.au)